Tethered container closure

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and methods are provided for a container closure that includes a tether that keeps the closure coupled with a plastic container after the closure has been unsealed to access contents within the container. The container closure comprises a closure portion coupled to a tamper evidence band by a tether bridge. The closure portion threadably engages with a finish portion of the container and seal contents in an interior of the container. The tamper evidence band remains engaged with the finish portion when the closure portion is removed from the finish portion. A multiplicity of thin connections between the tamper evidence band and the closure portion break apart when the closure portion is untightened from the finish portion. The tether bridge remains unbroken and is configured to allow the closure portion to be tilted away from the finish portion by an end-user.

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication, entitled “Tethered Container Closure,” filed on Dec. 13,2019 and having application Ser. No. 62/948,144, the entirety of saidapplication being incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field ofplastic bottles and preforms. More specifically, embodiments of thedisclosure relate to an apparatus and methods for a container closurethat includes a tether configured to keep the closure coupled with aplastic container after the closure has been unsealed to access contentswithin the container.

BACKGROUND

Plastic containers have been used as a replacement for glass or metalcontainers in the packaging of beverages for several decades. The mostcommon plastic used in making beverage containers today is polyethyleneterephthalate (PET). Containers made of PET are transparent, thinwalled, and have the ability to maintain their shape by withstanding theforce exerted on the walls of the container by their contents. PETresins are also reasonably priced and easy to process. PET bottles aregenerally made by a process that includes the blow-molding of plasticpreforms which have been made by injection molding of the PET resin.

Advantages of plastic packaging include lighter weight and decreasedbreakage as compared to glass, and lower costs overall when taking bothproduction and transportation into account. Although plastic packagingis lighter in weight than glass, there is still great interest increating the lightest possible plastic packaging so as to maximize thecost savings in both transportation and manufacturing by making andusing containers that contain less plastic.

A plastic container for storing liquid contents typically includes abase that extends up to a grip portion suitable for affixing a label, aswell as providing a location for grasping the container. The gripportion generally transitions into a shoulder, which connects to a bell.The bell has a diameter that generally decreases as the bell extendsupward from the shoulder to a neck and a finish. The finish is adaptedto receive a closure, such as a bottle cap, to seal the contents withinthe interior of the plastic container.

In many instances, the closure includes a tamper evidence band that isdisposed around the perimeter of the finish. The tamper evidence bandgenerally remains positioned on the finish when an end-user loosens theclosure to access the contents within the container. As such, the tamperevidence band and the finish cooperate to indicate to the end-userwhether or not the closure has been previously loosened after beinginstalled by the manufacturer.

Advantages of plastic containers include lighter weight and decreasedbreakage as compared to glass, and lower costs overall when taking bothproduction and transportation into account. As such, there is acontinuous interest in creating the lightest possible plastic containerso as to maximize cost savings in both transportation and manufacturingby making and using containers that contain less plastic.

One difficulty that may be associated with closures typically installedonto plastic containers is that once the closure is removed from thecontainer, the closure is separable from the container. This may resultin the closure being misplaced or lost after being removed from thecontainer, thus hindering resealing unfinished liquid contents withinthe container. In some instances, misplaced or lost closures maycontribute to plastic waste littering the environment. As such, there isa desire to attach or tether closures to plastic containers so as toreduce the environmental impact of misplaced closures while maintainingthe convenience and enjoyment often associated with drinking beveragesby way of plastic containers. Embodiments disclosed herein providecontainer closures that include tethers configured to keep the closurescoupled with plastic containers after the closures have been unsealed toaccess contents within the containers.

SUMMARY

An apparatus and methods are provided for a container closure thatincludes a tether that keeps the closure coupled with a plasticcontainer after the closure has been unsealed to access contents withinthe container. The container closure comprises a closure portion coupledto a tamper evidence band by a tether bridge. The closure portion isconfigured to threadably engage with a finish portion of the containerand seal contents in an interior of the container. The tamper evidenceband is adapted to remain engaged with the finish portion when theclosure portion is removed from the finish portion. A multiplicity ofthin connections between the tamper evidence band and the closureportion are configured to break apart when the closure portion isuntightened from the finish portion. The tether bridge remains unbrokenand is configured to allow the closure portion to be tilted away fromthe finish portion by an end-user.

In an exemplary embodiment, a closure for sealing contents within aninterior of a container and remaining coupled with the container afterbeing unsealed from the container comprises: a closure portion forthreadably engaging with a finish portion of the container; a tamperevidence band for engaging with the finish portion; and a tether bridgefor keeping the closure portion attached to the tamper evidence band.

In another exemplary embodiment, a multiplicity of thin connectionsattach the tamper evidence band to closure portion and are configured tobreak apart when the closure portion is untightened from the finishportion. In another exemplary embodiment, the tamper evidence band isconfigured to remain engaged with the finish portion when the closureportion is removed from the finish portion, thereby causing the thinconnections to break apart and allow the closure portion to separatefrom the tamper evidence band. In another exemplary embodiment, thetether bridge is configured such that only the thin connections breakapart during loosening of the closure portion. In another exemplaryembodiment, the tether bridge is formed during injection-molding byallowing material comprising the closure to remain disposed between apair of adjacent thin connections. In another exemplary embodiment, thetether bridge is formed after injection-molding by using a blade tocreate spaces between the thin connections and avoiding cutting at thelocation of the tether bridge.

In another exemplary embodiment, the tether bridge comprises a singlepiece of material that extends between the tamper evidence band and theclosure portion. In another exemplary embodiment, the tether bridgecomprises two or more portions of material joining the tamper evidenceband and the closure portion. In another exemplary embodiment, thetether bridge is configured to keep the closure portion attached to thefinish portion after the closure portion is unsealed from the finishportion. In another exemplary embodiment, the tether bridge isconfigured to flex while the closure portion is tilted with respect tothe tamper evidence band. In another exemplary embodiment, the tetherbridge comprises a relatively thick portion of plastic that isconfigured to resist breaking during tilting the closure portion awayfrom the finish portion.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method for a closure to seal contentswithin an interior of a container and remain coupled with the containerafter being unsealed from the container comprises: configuring a closureportion for threadably engaging with a finish portion of the container;configuring a tamper evidence band for engaging with the finish portion;and joining the closure portion and the tamper evidence band by way of atether bridge.

In another exemplary embodiment, joining includes configuring the tetherbridge to keep the closure portion attached to the finish portion afterthe closure portion is unsealed from the finish portion. In anotherexemplary embodiment, joining includes configuring the tether bridge toflex when the closure portion is tilted with respect to the tamperevidence band. In another exemplary embodiment, joining includesextending a single piece of material comprising the tether bridgebetween the tamper evidence band and the closure portion. In anotherexemplary embodiment, joining includes coupling the tamper evidence bandand the closure portion by way of two or more portions of materialcomprising the tether bridge. In another exemplary embodiment, joiningincludes coupling the closure portion and the tamper evidence band byway of a multiplicity of thin connections configured to break apart whenthe closure portion is untightened from the finish portion. In anotherexemplary embodiment, joining includes configuring the tether bridgesuch that only the thin connections break apart during loosening of theclosure portion. In another exemplary embodiment, configuring the tetherbridge includes injection-molding such that material comprising theclosure fills one or more spaces between adjacent thin connections.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method for a closure comprises: looseninga closure portion threaded onto a finish portion of the container;breaking a multiplicity of thin connections disposed between the closureportion and a tamper evidence band engaged with the finish portion; andbending a tether bridge disposed between the closure portion and atamper evidence band by tilting the closure portion away from the finishportion.

These and other features of the concepts provided herein may be betterunderstood with reference to the drawings, description, and appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings refer to embodiments of the present disclosure in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an exemplary container suitable forstoring liquid contents, including pressurized contents;

FIG. 2 a side plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a preform suitablefor being blow-molded to form a container in accordance with the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a side plan view of an exemplary embodiment of atethered closure that is configured to remain coupled with a containerafter the tethered closure is unsealed from the container by anend-user;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a tethered configurationof the tethered closure of FIG. 3 that may occur upon the tetheredclosure being loosened from a container by an end-user; and

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein an exemplaryembodiment of a tethered closure has been installed onto a finishportion of a container and then subsequently untightened from the finishportion.

While the present disclosure is subject to various modifications andalternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by wayof example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. Theinvention should be understood to not be limited to the particular formsdisclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. Itwill be apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that theinvention disclosed herein may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, specific numeric references such as “firstbottle,” may be made. However, the specific numeric reference should notbe interpreted as a literal sequential order but rather interpreted thatthe “first bottle” is different than a “second bottle.” Thus, thespecific details set forth are merely exemplary. The specific detailsmay be varied from and still be contemplated to be within the spirit andscope of the present disclosure. The term “coupled” is defined asmeaning connected either directly to the component or indirectly to thecomponent through another component. Further, as used herein, the terms“about,” “approximately,” or “substantially” for any numerical values orranges indicate a suitable dimensional tolerance that allows the part orcollection of components to function for its intended purpose asdescribed herein.

In general, there is a desire to attach or tether closures to plasticcontainers so as to reduce the environmental impact of misplacedclosures while maintaining the convenience and enjoyment oftenassociated with drinking beverages by way of plastic containers. Onedifficulty typically associated with closures installed onto plasticcontainers is that once the closure is removed from the container, theclosure may be misplaced or lost. Lost closures hinder resealingunfinished liquid contents within containers and may contribute toplastic waste littering the environment. Embodiments disclosed hereinprovide container closures that include tethers configured to keep theclosures coupled with plastic containers after the closures have beenunsealed to access contents within the containers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of an exemplary container 100 typicallyused for storing liquid contents, such as water, juice, and particularlycarbonated contents. The container 100 comprises a base 104 that extendsup to a grip portion 108. In some embodiments, the base 104 may be ofthe petaloid variety, although other configurations of the base may beincorporated into the container 100, without limitation. The gripportion 108 comprises a plurality of grip portion ribs 112 (i.e.,sidewall ribs). As illustrated in FIG. 1, the plurality of grip portionribs 112 generally vary in depth, and swirl or angulate around the gripportion 108. A label portion 116 is connected to the grip portion 108and comprises one or more label panel ribs (not shown). The label panelportion 116 transitions into a shoulder 124, which connects to a bell128.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the bell 128 comprises aplurality of design features 132. In other embodiments, however, thebell 128 may include various other design features, or may be smooth andgenerally unornamented. The bell 128 connects to a neck 136, whichconnects to a finish 140. As shown in FIG. 1, the bell 128 comprises adiameter that generally decreases as the bell 128 extends upward fromthe shoulder 124 to the neck 136 and the finish 140. The finish 140 isadapted to receive a closure, such as by way of non-limiting example, acontainer cap or closure 144, so as to seal contents within thecontainer 100. The finish 140 generally defines an opening that leads toan interior of the container 100 for containing a beverage, or othercontents, such as any of a variety of carbonated soft drinks. The finish140 may be of the Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) variety, or may beconfigured to receive closures suitable for sealing noncarbonatedcontents within the interior of the container 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, a tamper evidence closure 144 may be threadablyengaged with the finish 140 of FIG. 3. The closure 144 generallyincludes interior threads that are configured to engage with threadsdisposed on the finish 140, as described herein. During tightening ofthe closure 144 onto the finish 140, a plug seal of the closure 144extends into the opening of the container 100 and enters into a pressedrelationship with the finish 140 whereby contents may be sealed in theinterior of the container 100.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the closure 144 includes a tamper evidenceband 148 to provide an indication of whether or not the closure 144 hasbeen loosened after being installed by a manufacturer. In someembodiments, the tamper evidence band 148 may be attached to the closure144 by a multiplicity of thin connections. The tamper evidence band 148may include a cam that is configured to fixedly engage with a tamperevidence ledge disposed on the finished 140 during loosening of theclosure 144. Once the closure 144 is installed onto the finish 140 by amanufacturer and later an end-user loosens the closure 144, the camengages the tamper evidence ledge, breaking the thin connections betweentamper evidence band 148 and the closure 144. The tamper evidence band148 remains positioned on the tamper evidence ledge after the closure144 is removed from the container 100. As such, the tamper evidence band148 cooperates with the tamper evidence ledge to indicate to theend-user whether or not the closure 144 has been previously loosenedafter being installed by the manufacturer.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a preform 160 suitable forbeing blow-molded to form a plastic bottle, such as the container 100,according to the present disclosure. The preform 160 preferably is madeof material approved for contact with food and beverages such as virginPET or recycled PET and can be of any of a wide variety of shapes andsizes. The preform 160 shown in FIG. 2 is of the type which will form a12-16 oz. beverage bottle, but as will be understood by those skilled inthe art, other preform configurations may be used depending upon thedesired configuration, characteristics and use of the final article. Thepreform 160 may be made by injection molding methods, withoutlimitation.

The preform 160 includes a finish portion 164 and a body portion 168,formed monolithically (i.e., as a single, or unitary, structure).Advantageously, the monolithic arrangement of the preform 160, whenblow-molded into a bottle, provides greater dimensional stability andimproved physical properties in comparison to a preform constructed ofseparate neck and body portions that are bonded together.

The finish portion 164 begins at an opening 172 to an interior of thepreform 160 and extends to and includes a tamper evidence ledge 176. Thefinish portion 164 is further characterized by the presence of one ormore threads 180 configured to provide a means to fasten the closure 144(see FIG. 1) onto the container 100 produced from the preform 160. Assuch, the threads 180 are configured to rotatably engage with similarthreads disposed within the closure 144 to provide a way to sealcontents within the container 100. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.2, each of the threads 180 generally extends along a section of thecircumference of the finish portion 164 and approaches the tamperevidence ledge 176. Thus, when the threads of the closure 144 areengaged with the threads 180, and the closure 144 is rotated in aclockwise direction, the closure 144 advances toward the tamper evidenceledge 176.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, each of the one or more threads 180begins at a thread start 184 and extends along an angular section of thefinish portion 164 to a thread end 188. The thread start 184 isconfigured to guide a thread comprising the closure 144 into a space, ora valley 190, between adjacent threads 180 so as to threadably engagethe closure 144 with the finish portion 164. Further, the threads 180generally are disposed adjacently to one another, separated by valleys190, and are spaced uniformly around the circumference of the finishportion 164. In some embodiments, wherein three threads 180 are disposedaround the finish portion 164, the thread starts 184 of adjacent threads180 are spaced at substantially 120-degree intervals around theperimeter of the finish portion 164. As will be appreciated, however,more or less than three threads 180 may be incorporated into the finishportion 164 without deviating beyond the scope of the presentdisclosure.

In some embodiments, a plurality of gaps (not shown) may be disposed inthe threads 180 and positioned uniformly around the perimeter of thefinish portion 164. Preferably, the gaps of adjacent threads 180 arevertically aligned so as to form channels extending longitudinally alongthe finish portion 164. The channels advantageously operate to relievepressure within the container 100 when the closure 144 is loosened. Aswill be appreciated, the channels may provide a direct route for gasesescaping the interior of the container 100, rather than the gases beingforced to travel around the finish portion 164 between adjacent threads180.

The body portion 168 includes a neck portion 192 that extends to atapered portion 196 of the body portion 168. The tapered portion 196comprises a smooth transition from a diameter of the neck portion 192 toa relatively smaller diameter of a cylindrical portion 200 of thepreform 160. The cylindrical portion 200 is a generally elongate memberthat culminates in an end cap 204. In some embodiments the body portion168 may be generally cylindrical, and the end cap 204 may be conical orfrustoconical and may also be hemispherical, and the very terminus ofthe end cap 204 may be flattened or rounded.

In some embodiments, a wall thickness of the cylindrical portion 200 maybe substantially uniform throughout the cylindrical portion 200 and theend cap 204. A wall thickness of the tapered portion 196, however,generally decreases from the wall thickness of the cylindrical portion200 to a relatively thinner wall thickness of the neck portion 192. Aswill be appreciated, the wall thickness of the cylindrical portion 200is relatively greater than the wall thickness of the neck portion 192 soas to provide a wall thickness at the desired dimensions of a finishedproduct after the preform 160 is blow-molded into the shape and size ofa bottle. As such, the wall thickness throughout most of the bodyportion 168 will depend upon the overall size of the preform 160 and thewall thickness and overall size of the resulting container.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, the tamper evidence ledge 176comprises a rounded upper portion 232 and a substantially flat lowerportion 236. As will be appreciated, the rounded upper portion 232facilitates passing the tamper evidence band 148 of the closure 144 overthe tamper evidence ledge 176 during assembly of the closure 144 ontothe container 100. The flat lower portion 236 is configured to retainthe tamper evidence band 148 positioned below the tamper evidence ledge176 during loosening of the closure 144. For example, when the closure144 is initially installed onto the container 100 by a manufacturer, thetamper evidence band 148 easily passes over the tamper evidence ledge176 due to the rounded upper portion 232. When an end-user later loosensthe closure 144, the flat lower portion 236 retains the tamper evidenceband 148 below the tamper evidence ledge 176, causing the tamperevidence band 148 to break loose from the closure 144. Thus, the flatlower portion 236 of the tamper evidence ledge 176 and the tamperevidence band 148 of the closure 144 cooperate to indicate to theend-user that the closure 144 has not been previously loosened afterbeing installed by the manufacturer. It should be understood, however,that the tamper evidence ledge 176 is not limited to being coupled withtamper evidence bands, as described above, but rather the tamperevidence ledge 176 may be configured to operate with any of variousdevices for indicating whether or not the container has been previouslyopened.

Disposed between the tamper evidence ledge 176 and the threads 180 is ahandling valley 240 that extends circumferentially around the finishportion 164. The handling valley 240 comprises a portion of the finishportion 164 that has a wall thickness and a diameter that aresubstantially similar to the wall thickness and diameter of the neckportion 192, below the tamper evidence ledge 176. As such, the handlingvalley 240 and the neck portion 192 advantageously enable grippingfingers to engage with and support the container 100 duringair-conveying the container 100 along a manufacturing assembly. Forexample, a first pair of gripping fingers can extend into the handlingvalley 240 to support the container 100 at a first station of amanufacturing line. Then, upon being conveyed to a second station, asecond pair of gripping fingers can extend around the neck portion 192,below the tamper evidence ledge 176, while the first pair of grippingfingers are removed from the handling valley 240. Similarly, uponarriving at a third station, a third pair of gripping fingers can engagewith the handling valley 240 while the second pair of gripping fingersare removed from the neck portion 192. Thus, the container 100 can betransported along the manufacturing line by alternatingly engaginggripping fingers with the handling valley 240 and the neck portion 192.

As will be appreciated, the handling valley 240 provides a separationbetween the tamper evidence ledge 176 and the threads 180 suitable forreceiving the pair of gripping fingers, as described above. In general,the separation must be large enough to allow the gripping fingers toeasily pass between the tamper evidence ledge 176 and the threads 180.As such, any of various separations, greater than the width of thegripping fingers, may be disposed between the tamper evidence ledge 176and the threads 180, without limitation and without deviating beyond thescope of the present disclosure.

As described herein, once the preform 160 has been blow-molded to formthe container 100 and then the container 100 has been filled with liquidcontents, the closure 144 is installed onto the finish portion 164, byway of suitable equipment, to seal the contents in the interior of thecontainer 100. In general, the threads 180 disposed around the finishportion 164 are engaged with similar threads comprising the closure 144and then the closure 144 is rotated in a clockwise direction to advancethe closure 144 toward the tamper evidence ledge 176. The closure 144preferably is tightened until the tamper evidence band 148 is pushedover the tamper evidence ledge 176 and a plug seal comprising theclosure 144 extends into the opening 172 of the finish portion 164,thereby sealing the liquid contents within the container 100.

Turning now to FIG. 3, a side plan view of an exemplary embodiment of atethered closure 244 is shown. The tethered closure 244 generally isconfigured to remain coupled with a plastic container, such as thecontainer 100, after the tethered closure 244 has been unsealed from thefinish portion 164 by an end-user to access contents within thecontainer 100. The illustrated embodiment of the tethered closure 244includes a closure portion 248 that is coupled with a tamper evidenceband 252 by way of a tether bridge 256. Upon the closure portion 248being removed from the container 100, the tamper evidence band 252remains fixed to the finish portion 164 while the tether bridge 256couples the closure portion 248 with the tamper evidence band 252. Assuch, the tether bridge 256 keeps the closure portion 248 attached tothe container 100 after the closure portion 248 is unsealed from thefinish portion 164 to access the contents within the container 100.

With continuing reference to FIG. 3, the closure portion 248 isconfigured to be threadably engaged with the finish portion 164 shown inFIG. 2. The closure portion 248 includes interior threads that areconfigured to engage with the threads 180 of the finish portion 164, asdescribed herein. As such, the threads of the closure portion 248 extendinto the thread valleys 190 extending around the finish portion 164.During tightening of the closure portion 248 onto the finish portion164, a plug seal disposed within the closure portion 248 extends intothe opening 172 and enters into a pressed relationship with the finishportion 164 whereby contents may be sealed within the interior of thecontainer 100. As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of knurls 260 may bearranged on top of the closure portion 248 and configured to facilitategrasping the closure portion 248 during tightening and untightening theclosure portion 248 on the finish portion 164.

As shown in FIG. 3, a multiplicity of thin connections 264 attach thetamper evidence band 252 to closure portion 248. The thin connections264 are configured to break apart when the closure portion 248 isuntightened from the finish portion 164, such as during opening thecontainer 100 to access the contents within the container 100. Thetamper evidence band 252 generally includes a cam, or a similarstructure, disposed around an interior perimeter of the tamper evidenceband 252 that interferes with the flat lower portion 236 of the tamperevidence ledge 176. Thus, when an end-user loosens the closure portion248, the flat lower portion 236 retains the tamper evidence band 252below the tamper evidence ledge 176, causing the thin connections 264 tobreak apart and thus allowing the closure portion 248 to separate fromthe tamper evidence band 252.

Once all the thin connections are broken, the tethered closure 244assumes a tethered configuration 280 as best shown in FIG. 4. In thetethered configuration 280, the tamper evidence band 252 resembles aloop of plastic coupled to the closure portion 248 solely by way of thetether bridge 256. As will be appreciated, the tether bridge 256 flexeswhile the closure portion 248 is tilted with respect to the tamperevidence band 252. It is contemplated that the tether bridge 256comprises a relatively thick portion of plastic that is configured toresist breaking during tilting the closure portion 248 away from thefinish portion 164.

In general, the tether bridge 256 is configured similarly to the tamperevidence band 252, such that only the thin connections 264 break apartduring loosening of the closure portion 248. For example, in someembodiments wherein the tethered closure 244 is formed by way ofinjection-molding, the tether bridge 256 may be formed by allowing thematerial comprising the tethered closure 244 to remain disposed betweena pair of adjacent thin connections 264. In one exemplary embodiment, amold for injection-molding the tethered closure 244 may be configured toallow the material comprising the closure 244 to fill one or more spaces268 (see FIG. 3) between the thin connections 264. As such, one or moreprotrusions comprising the mold that form the spaces 268 may be omittedin the location of the mold that forms the tether bridge 256. Further,in some embodiments wherein a knife or other type of blade is used toform the spaces 268 after injection-molding the tethered closure 244,the blade may be configured to avoid cutting the tethered closure 244 atthe location of the tether bridge 256. It should be understood,therefore, that the tether bridge 256 is formed generally by leavingmaterial comprising the tethered closure 244 intact within one or morespaces 268 between the thin connections 264, and thus the tether bridge256 may be formed by way of various diverse techniques withoutlimitation, and without deviating beyond the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary-use environment wherein the tetheredclosure 244 has been installed onto a container 272, formed from thepreform 160 of FIG. 2, and then subsequently untightened from the finishportion 164 of the container 272. During installation of the tetheredclosure 244 onto the container 272, the rounded upper portion 232 of thetamper evidence ledge 176 facilitates passing the tamper evidence band252 over the tamper evidence ledge 176. As described herein, the flatlower portion 236 of the tamper evidence ledge 176 retains the tamperevidence band 252 positioned below the tamper evidence ledge 176 duringloosening of the closure portion 248. As such, loosening the closureportion 248 on the finish portion 164 causes the thin connections 264 tobreak apart, thus causing the tethered closure 244 to assume thetethered configuration 280 discussed in connection with FIG. 4.

As shown in FIG. 5, upon removing the closure portion 248 from thefinish portion 164, the tether bridge 256 bends and allows the closureportion 248 to be tilted with respect to the tamper evidence band 252.As such, the tether bridge 256 keeps the closure portion 248 attached tothe container 272 after the closure portion 248 is unsealed from thefinish portion 164 to access the contents within the container 272. Itis contemplated that keeping the closure portion 248 coupled with thecontainer 272 will substantially eliminate instances of misplacing theclosure portion 248, thereby encouraging the end-user reengaging theclosure portion 248 with the finish portion 164 to store unfinishedcontents within the container 272, as well as preventing the closureportion 248 from contributing to plastic waste being deposited into theenvironment.

As described hereinabove, the finish portion 164 includes a handingvalley 240 disposed adjacent to the rounded upper portion 232 of thetamper evidence ledge 176. Upon comparing FIG. 2 and FIG. 5, itstraightforward to see that the tamper evidence band 252 is fixated ontop of the tamper evidence ledge 176. In some embodiments, however, thetether closure 244 may be configured to position the tamper evidenceband 252 entirely beneath the tamper evidence ledge 176, as describedhereinabove. Further, in some embodiments, the tamper evidence ledge 176may be configured to fixate the tamper evidence band 252 on top of thetamper evidence ledge 176, in lieu of being positioned below the tamperevidence ledge, without limitation.

Moreover, it should be understood that the tethered closure 244 is notto be limited to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings anddescribed hereinabove. For example, the tether bridge 256 is not to belimited to comprising a single piece of material that extends from thetamper evidence band 252 to the closure portion 248. In someembodiments, for example, the tether bridge 256 may comprise two or moreportions of material joining the tamper evidence band 252 and theclosure portion 248. It is contemplated that in such embodiments, thetwo or more portions of material comprising the tether bridge 256generally are narrower than the single piece of material comprising thetether bridge 256 shown in FIG. 3. It is further contemplated that thetether bridge 256 may comprise any of various structures or mechanismsthat facilitate tilting the closure portion 248 relative to the finishportion 264, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, in some embodiments, thetether bridge 256 may include one or more cuts that cause the tetherbridge 256 to operate similarly to a scissor hinge when the closureportion 248 is removed from the finish portion 164. As such, the tetherbridge 256 may include a wide variety of different configurations andinclude mechanisms other than shown and discussed herein, withoutlimitation, and without deviating beyond the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

While the invention has been described in terms of particular variationsand illustrative figures, those of ordinary skill in the art willrecognize that the invention is not limited to the variations or figuresdescribed. In addition, where methods and steps described above indicatecertain events occurring in certain order, those of ordinary skill inthe art will recognize that the ordering of certain steps may bemodified and that such modifications are in accordance with thevariations of the invention. Additionally, certain of the steps may beperformed concurrently in a parallel process when possible, as well asperformed sequentially as described above. To the extent there arevariations of the invention, which are within the spirit of thedisclosure or equivalent to the inventions found in the claims, it isthe intent that this patent will cover those variations as well.Therefore, the present disclosure is to be understood as not limited bythe specific embodiments described herein, but only by scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A closure for sealing contents within an interiorof a container and remaining coupled with the container after beingunsealed from the container, the closure comprising: a closure portionfor threadably engaging with a finish portion of the container; a tamperevidence band for engaging with the finish portion; and a tether bridgefor keeping the closure portion attached to the tamper evidence band. 2.The closure of claim 1, wherein a multiplicity of thin connectionsattach the tamper evidence band to closure portion and are configured tobreak apart when the closure portion is untightened from the finishportion.
 3. The closure of claim 2, wherein the tamper evidence band isconfigured to remain engaged with the finish portion when the closureportion is removed from the finish portion, thereby causing the thinconnections to break apart and allow the closure portion to separatefrom the tamper evidence band.
 4. The closure of claim 2, wherein thetether bridge is configured such that only the thin connections breakapart during loosening of the closure portion.
 5. The closure of claim4, wherein the tether bridge is formed during injection-molding byallowing material comprising the closure to remain disposed between apair of adjacent thin connections.
 6. The closure of claim 4, whereinthe tether bridge is formed after injection-molding by using a blade tocreate spaces between the thin connections and avoiding cutting at thelocation of the tether bridge.
 7. The closure of claim 1, wherein thetether bridge comprises a single piece of material that extends betweenthe tamper evidence band and the closure portion.
 8. The closure ofclaim 1, wherein the tether bridge comprises two or more portions ofmaterial joining the tamper evidence band and the closure portion. 9.The closure of claim 1, wherein the tether bridge is configured to keepthe closure portion attached to the finish portion after the closureportion is unsealed from the finish portion.
 10. The closure of claim 1,wherein the tether bridge is configured to flex while the closureportion is tilted with respect to the tamper evidence band.
 11. Theclosure of claim 10, wherein the tether bridge comprises a relativelythick portion of plastic that is configured to resist breaking duringtilting the closure portion away from the finish portion.
 12. A methodfor a closure to seal contents within an interior of a container andremain coupled with the container after being unsealed from thecontainer, the method comprising: configuring a closure portion forthreadably engaging with a finish portion of the container; configuringa tamper evidence band for engaging with the finish portion; and joiningthe closure portion and the tamper evidence band by way of a tetherbridge.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein joining includes configuringthe tether bridge to keep the closure portion attached to the finishportion after the closure portion is unsealed from the finish portion.14. The method of claim 12, wherein joining includes configuring thetether bridge to flex when the closure portion is tilted with respect tothe tamper evidence band.
 15. The method of claim 12, wherein joiningincludes extending a single piece of material comprising the tetherbridge between the tamper evidence band and the closure portion.
 16. Themethod of claim 12, wherein joining includes coupling the tamperevidence band and the closure portion by way of two or more portions ofmaterial comprising the tether bridge.
 17. The method of claim 12,wherein joining includes coupling the closure portion and the tamperevidence band by way of a multiplicity of thin connections configured tobreak apart when the closure portion is untightened from the finishportion.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein joining includesconfiguring the tether bridge such that only the thin connections breakapart during loosening of the closure portion.
 19. The method of claim18, wherein configuring the tether bridge includes injection-moldingsuch that material comprising the closure fills one or more spacesbetween adjacent thin connections.
 20. A method for a closure,comprising: loosening a closure portion threaded onto a finish portionof the container; breaking a multiplicity of thin connections disposedbetween the closure portion and a tamper evidence band engaged with thefinish portion; and bending a tether bridge disposed between the closureportion and a tamper evidence band by tilting the closure portion awayfrom the finish portion.